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He may have been facing the questions in a hastily arranged unveiling at Stamford Bridge, but it was new Chelsea signing Kepa Arrizabalaga who got his answer if he was in any doubt over the weight of expectation that now rests on his young shoulders.

Chelsea do not generally unveil their new players, but they no longer generally break world record transfer fees either and it was impossible for Kepa to put that particular subject to bed.

He said all the right things, speaking in Spanish through a translator, when asked about the eye-popping fee and appeared calm and composed while being asked to keep returning to the issue.

Kepa will certainly need to be just as assured on the pitch, where, through no fault of his own, he will be scrutinised over whether or not he is worth the £71.6million it took to activate his Athletic Bilbao buy-out clause – over twice what Courtois, who was in the final year of his Chelsea contract, cost Real.

Responding to the first question in front of the English media, there was an acknowledgement from Kepa that Chelsea have taken a gamble by spending so much money on a 23-year-old with one full senior cap who has never previously played outside Spain.

“It’s very brave from the club to sign me,” said Kepa. “In terms of the price - in terms of being the most expensive keeper in the world - it’s something I don’t think about. I’m just going to be myself and try to give my best to the club.

“I don’t really think about the price. It is not something I have in my mind. I just think Chelsea have made a great bet in taking me. I’m really, really happy to be here and I will put everything I can to repay the trust they have put in me.”

The move for Kepa to replace Courtois has delighted Chelsea fans, who had feared their club had stopped competing at the top end of the transfer market, and it will have equally pleased officials at Liverpool.

Alisson will not have to make a single competitive appearance as the world’s most expensive keeper, taking some of the pressure off the Brazilian, and Kepa believes the fact Liverpool and Chelsea have proved the position is now taken more seriously.

Fans fill the Bernabeu to welcome Thibaut CourtoisCredit:
Real Madrid

“The market in general has gone up a lot in the last few years,” said Kepa. “It is down to many things, partly the contracts clubs have with the media now.

“But I agree that there is a new way to value goalkeepers. It is great that big fees are paid for strikers and other players, but why not for goalkeepers too? It is a good way to acknowledge the importance of a good goalkeeper.”

Kepa confirmed that he had spoken to some of his team-mates in the Spanish national squad over his move to the Premier League – one of whom is Pepe Reina who played for Maurizio Sarri at Napoli.

Reina knows only too well how Sarri demands his goalkeepers play out from the back and Kepa is confident he can impress with his feet, as well as his hands.

“I find Sarri’s style and ideas very attractive,” said Kepa. “I have references about him from players like Pepe Reina, who knows him from Napoli. He was very happy with him.

“Also, Maurizio’s style is not unlike the style used by the Spanish national team, where I have played for many years. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Arrizabalaga has heard good reports about the methods of Maurizio SarriCredit:
Action Images

Some of the pressure Arrizabalaga could have faced from within Chelsea’s fan-base has been alleviated by the ill-feeling towards Courtois, who went AWOL to force his switch to Real with midfielder Mateo Kovacic moving in the opposite direction.

A statement posted on social media by Courtois, thanking Chelsea for his time at the club, sparked a furious response from supporters while former captain John Terry eventually disabled comments to his Instagram message wishing his old team-mate well.

Courtois further infuriated Chelsea fans by admitting he would love his Belgium team-mate Eden Hazard to join him at Real one day during his own unveiling in Spain.

“He’s a wonderful player,” said Courtois. “I’d love to play alongside him again and we’ll have to see what happens in the future. If he ends up here one day that would be brilliant.”